Wairarapa College
Payroll Officer Āpiha Utu Kaimahi
Payroll officers arrange payment of staff salaries and wages.
Payroll officers may do some or all of the following:
- calculate pay, tax, student loan and superannuation deductions for staff
- manage the payroll system for the organisation
- check what hours staff have worked, and what leave they've taken
- arrange for staff to be paid correctly and on time
- forward information to government agencies
- keep staff records up to date
- ensure the organisation complies with the law.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for payroll officers includes:
- cash-handling
- accounting work
- office or administrative work
- human resources experience.
Personal Qualities
Payroll officers need to be:
- analytical, organised and accurate, with an eye for detail
- good at problem solving
- honest, reliable and able to keep information private
- good at record-keeping
- able to work well under pressure and prioritise deadlines
- good at communicating.
Skills
Payroll officers need to have knowledge of:
- employment law and the tax system
- accounting, information and payment systems.
Conditions
Payroll officers:
- usually work regular business hours, but may work weekends or evenings to meet deadlines
- work in offices.
Subject Recommendations
No specific secondary education is required for this job, but English, maths, accounting and digital technologies to NCEA Level 2 are useful.
Related Courses
Payroll Officers can earn around $48K-$60K per year.
Pay for payroll officers depends on experience and the size of the company they work for.
- New payroll officers usually earn between $48,000 and $60,000 a year.
- Payroll officers with several years' experience usually earn between $48,000 and $70,000.
- Senior payroll officers usually earn between $55,000 and $85,000.
- Payroll supervisors and managers usually earn between $65,000 and $130,000.
Sources: Hays, 'FY 18/19 Hays Salary Guide: Salary and Recruitment Trends', 2018; Hudson, 'Accounting and Finance Salary Guide 2018', 2018; Robert Half, '2018 Salary Guide', 2018; and PayScale, 2018.
Payroll officers may progress to other finance roles or into human resources.
Years Of Training
There are no specific requirements to become a payroll officer. However, a business or accounting degree, or Level 5 diploma in business or management is useful.
New payroll officers usually get on-the-job training in how to use in-house systems.
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